Feasibility of ultra-high-speed acquisition in xSPECT bone algorithm: a phantom study with advanced bone SPECT-specific phantom

Hajime Ichikawa; Noriaki Miyaji; Masahisa Onoguchi; Takayuki Shibutani; Akio Nagaki; Toyohiro Kato; Hideki Shimada

doi:10.1007/s12149-021-01689-2

Feasibility of ultra-high-speed acquisition in xSPECT bone algorithm: a phantom study with advanced bone SPECT-specific phantom

Ann Nucl Med. 2022 Feb;36(2):183-190. doi: 10.1007/s12149-021-01689-2. Epub 2021 Nov 3.

Authors

Hajime Ichikawa^{1

2}, Noriaki Miyaji³, Masahisa Onoguchi⁴, Takayuki Shibutani², Akio Nagaki⁵, Toyohiro Kato¹, Hideki Shimada¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Radiology, Toyohashi Municipal Hospital, 50 Aza Hachiken Nishi, Aotake-Cho, Toyohashi, Aichi, 4418570, Japan.
² Department of Quantum Medical Technology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kanazawa University, 5-11-80 Kodatsuno, Kanazawa, Ishikawa, 9200942, Japan.
³ Department of Nuclear Medicine, Cancer Institute Hospital of Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, 3-8-31 Ariake, Koto-ku, Tokyo, 1358550, Japan.
⁴ Department of Quantum Medical Technology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kanazawa University, 5-11-80 Kodatsuno, Kanazawa, Ishikawa, 9200942, Japan. onoguchi@staff.kanazawa-u.ac.jp.
⁵ Department of Radiological Technology, Kurashiki Central Hospital, 1-1-1 Miwa, Kurashiki, Okayama, 7108602, Japan.

PMID: 34731435
DOI: 10.1007/s12149-021-01689-2

Abstract

Objective: Although xSPECT Bone (xB) provides quantitative single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) high-resolution images, patients' burden remains high due to long acquisition time; therefore, this study aimed to investigate the feasibility of shortening the xB acquisition time using a custom-designed phantom.

Methods: A custom-designed xSPECT bone-specific (xSB) phantom with simulated cortical and spongious bones was developed based on the thoracic bone phantom. Both standard- and ultra-high-speed (UHS) xB acquisitions were performed in a male patient with lung cancer. In this phantom study, SPECT was acquired for 3, 6, 9, 12, and 30 min. The clinical SPECT acquisition time per rotation was 9 and 3 min for standard and UHS, respectively. SPECT images were reconstructed using ordered subset expectation maximization with three-dimensional resolution recovery (Flash3D; F3D) and xB algorithms. Quantitative SPECT value (QSV) and coefficient of variation (CV) were measured using the volume of interests (VOIs) placed at the center of the vertebral body and hot sphere. A linear profile was plotted on the spinous process at the center of the xSB phantom; then, the full width at half maximum (FWHM) was measured. The standardized uptake value (SUV) and standard deviation from the first thoracic to the fifth lumbar vertebrae in clinical standard- and UHS-xB images were measured using a 1-cm³ VOI.

Results: The QSV of F3D images was underestimated even in large regions, whereas those of xB images were close to actual radioactivity concentration. The CV was similar or lower for xB images than that for F3D images but was not decreased with increasing acquisition time for both reconstruction images. The FWHM of xB images was lower than those of F3D images at all acquisition times. The mean SUV values from the first thoracic to fifth lumbar vertebrae for standard- and UHS-xB images were 6.73 ± 0.64 and 6.19 ± 0.87, respectively, showing a strong positive correlation.

Conclusions: Results of this phantom study suggest that xB imaging can be obtained in only one-third of the acquisition time without compromising the image quality. The SUV of UHS-xB images can be similar to that of standard-xB images in terms of clinical interpretation.

Keywords: Bone scintigraphy; Phantom study; Quantitative single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT); xSPECT bone.

MeSH terms

Algorithms*
Feasibility Studies
Humans
Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / methods
Lumbar Vertebrae / diagnostic imaging
Male
Phantoms, Imaging
Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon* / methods